Automated Mycotoxin Sample Cleanup – Built for Routine Flexibility
Flexibility for Every Mycotoxin Workflow
Mycotoxin analysis in routine laboratories rarely follows just one fixed workflow. Different sample matrices, changing methods, priority samples, varying cleanup requirements, and different LC systems all need to be handled efficiently.
Automation can reduce manual workload and improve reproducibility – but only if the automated workflow remains flexible enough to meet these changing requirements.
With the FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™, LCTech provides an automated solution for immunoaffinity column cleanup that is designed around the practical needs of routine laboratories.
Flexibility from Sample Cleanup to LC
Different mycotoxin methods can require different washing solutions, solvents, elution conditions, and column formats. A system that limits these parameters can quickly become a limitation itself.
FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™ offers up to six freely selectable solvent and wash channels. Methods can be individually configured, and different methods can even be processed from sample to sample within the same workflow.
The system is compatible with different immunoaffinity column formats, including SMART, 1 mL, and 3 mL columns. This enables laboratories to automate established methods without being restricted to one specific column format or application.
More Control over Every Sample
In high-throughput laboratories, automation is not only about processing more samples. It is also about maintaining control over every individual sample.
FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™ monitors relevant process parameters for each sample throughout the cleanup procedure. At the same time, the system design prevents cross-contamination between samples.
Another important aspect is the handling of the eluate. Depending on the analytical workflow, evaporation can lead to variations in final concentration and potentially affect analytical results. With ThermELUTE™, the automated workflow avoids uncontrolled evaporation of the eluate, helping to maintain consistent sample conditions.
Online or Offline - The Choice Is Yours
Sample cleanup does not necessarily have to end in a collection vial.
FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™ can perform the elution conventionally into appropriate vials for subsequent analysis. Alternatively, the cleaned sample can be transferred directly to an LC system.
The online approach can eliminate additional manual handling steps between cleanup and analysis while supporting increased sensitivity through controlled sample transfer. Importantly, laboratories are not tied to a specific LC manufacturer: ThermELUTE™ can be connected to LC systems from different brands.
This allows the automation concept to fit into the existing laboratory infrastructure rather than requiring the laboratory infrastructure to fit the automation.
Designed for Real Laboratory Priorities
Routine laboratory work is rarely processed strictly according to the order in which samples arrive.
Urgent samples may need to be prioritized. Different sample types may require different methods. Workloads can change throughout the day.
FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™ is designed with this reality in mind. Priority samples can be integrated into the workflow, while methods can be changed from one sample to the next.
This flexibility supports both high-throughput routine analysis and laboratories handling a diverse range of samples and analytical requirements.
Mycotoxin Cleanup – and Beyond
The system has been used with a broad range of challenging food and feed matrices, including cereals such as corn, nuts including peanuts, pistachios and hazelnuts, dried fruits such as dates and figs, spices including paprika, chili, turmeric, garlic, cumin and pepper, as well as DDGS, compound feed, silage, pet food, baby food and medicinal herbs.
This experience is particularly relevant for laboratories that do not analyze just one defined matrix every day.
And the flexibility of FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™ is not limited to mycotoxin analysis. The platform can also support other applications based on automated column cleanup, making it a versatile solution for laboratories looking beyond a single analytical workflow.
Automation tailored to your workflow – not the other way around!
For routine laboratories, the question is therefore not simply how many samples an automated system can process.
The more relevant question is: Can the automation adapt when your samples, methods and priorities change?
With flexible method configuration, different column formats, individual sample monitoring, priority sample handling, online or offline elution, and connectivity to different LC systems, FREESTYLE ThermELUTE™ brings automation to mycotoxin sample cleanup without taking flexibility away from the laboratory.
Explore FREESTYLE ThermELUTE. Click here.
Or contact us at sales@lctech.de.